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Late Tuesday night, Miron Golfman and Tyson Flaharty finished this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000 together, completing the grueling race in 16 days, 5 hours, and 10 minutes. Find an update from the finish line with photos by Nelson Brown here…
Photos by Nelson Brown
The Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) is one of the most exciting events to follow each year. Not only is it one of the most challenging races we feature here on the site, sometimes described as “the most challenging experience on the planet,” but there is so much strategy, preparation, and resiliency that goes into each participant’s ride. Mother Nature ultimately determines how fast or slow riders can go, often forcing those brave enough to show up to take shelter in cabins, wait out storms, and navigate the harsh Alaskan terrain.
This year, Alaskans Miron Golfman and Tyson Flaharty finished first in the Iditarod Trail Invitational 1000 with a time of 16 days, 5 hours, and 10 minutes. The two rode together for the majority of the race and crossed the finish line in Nome on Tuesday night. Neither is a stranger to the ITI, though; Miron won last year’s ITI 1000 with a time of 17 days, 3 hours, and 46 minutes, and Tyson took first place at the 350-mile event with a time of 3 days, 1 hour, and 30 minutes. They also spent the first 350 miles riding together that year, so they clearly found a groove that worked.
According to Jill Homer, who has been posting detailed updates from the event on the ITI Racers Facebook group, the final days of their ride were some of the hardest. The 25-mile-per-hour winds accompanied by -20°F (-51°F with the windchill) lows didn’t stop Miron or Tyson as they pedaled over barren sea ice and whiteout conditions. Philip Hofstetter, currently in third place, has been riding alone for over half of the race, and his last encounter with another rider was back in McGrath at mile 300. Congratulations to Miron, Tyson, and all the other participants in this year’s event.
Once again, Miron is using his ultra-endurance events to raise awareness of critical issues. This time, he’s focusing on Defend the West Su, a group fighting a massive mining project proposed by the State of Alaska, which includes constructing a 100+ mile industrial road through a large portion of pristine backcountry terrain that the Iditarod Trail follows. You can take action by filling out this online petition and learn more at WestSuWild.org.
The Winning ITI 1000 Rigs
Miron rode a Trek Farley 9.6 with studded 27.5″ tires for this year’s Iditarod Trail Invitational. It was set up with V1 Revelate Designs Nano Panniers, feed bags, Oveja Negra Bootlegger Fork Bags, a custom frame bag, 45NRTH Pogies, a Revelate Designs Mag-Tank, and dry bags strapped onto the rear and front rack. According to Miron’s pre-race Instagram post, he aimed to intake 250-300 calories and 11 ounces of water every hour. “Tyson and I have taken on a lot of amazing challenges together. This outdid anything we have done thus far,” said Miron.
Tyson was riding a 9:Zero:7 Lynx V2 set up with a Trek fork/front rack, 12-speed Shimano XTR drivetrain, and an Old Man Mountain rear rack. He made the front bag, frame bag, and pogies and used Revelate Designs Feed Bags, a Mag-Tank 2000, Nano Panniers, a Joey Downtube Bag, and Oveja Negra Bootlegger Fork Bags. “It was epic. Special experience to have with Miron,” Tyson said.
Further Reading
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